OathToOblivion: And here we go with Episode 2! Sorry it took so long guys, I blame my natural laziness. Next chapter will not take 3 months this time! And Faiz Episode 3 will come out soonish, promise.
Novice' Writer Zero: And for those of you who have been reading my personal fic, Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Rebirth, I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I promise to get chapter 3 finished before Halloween. Then I'm going back to working with Oath until December.
OathToOblivion: And of course, here's the disclaimer! We don't own Kamen Rider Kuuga or Futari wa Pretty Cure. Toei does. Why do we have to say that anyway? This is a Fanfiction site; of course we don't own them!
Let's Ride! To Protect Everyone's Smiles!
Futari wa Pretty Cure - Into the Blue Sky
Episode 02 - A City Targeted by Darkness! A Mighty Promise!
"Ugh."
The first thing that Ichido noticed when he opened his eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling above his head. The second was the fact that he was in a comfy bed. And the third, and most important, thing noticed was the fact that he felt a few minor pains across his body. So it was understandable that he was completely confused. "W-Where am I?" He tried to sit up, feeling the dull pains, but decided to ignore them, though he did remain in the bed. He dully noted that his hoodie had been removed, revealing his black T-shirt, and a bandage peaking out from inside it.
"Oh!" Ichido turned his head towards the source of the sound, to find that the door to the room was open, revealing a young woman. She had shoulder-length brown hair which was tied back in a ponytail, with brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin. She was wearing a simple white collared shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Ichido thought that she looked a bit familiar, but he couldn't remember from where he had seen her before. "You're awake. Sorry to just barge in."
"Um. No problem," Ichido responded. He was still half asleep, so he was a bit confused. "So where am I?"
"Oh, you're in my house," the woman answered. "I found you passed out near my cart so I brought you back home and took care of you."
At this point Ichido finally realized that there were indeed some bandages on him in certain areas. "You did this? Thanks. You must be good at nursing."
"Oh no," the woman denied, rubbing her head in embarrassment. "I'm just good with a first aid kit. No, my real profession is cooking!"
"Cooking?" Now that Ichido took the time to think, he could certainly smell food. A very familiar kind of food at that. "Hey, this smells like -" He sniffed again. "- takoyaki!"
"Yup! I don't like to brag, but I make the best takoyaki around these parts! Speaking of which." The woman then placed a plate full of said aforementioned snack on a small table next to Ichido. "It's on the house! Oh, that's right! I never introduced myself. My name's Fujita Akane! What's yours?"
"Um, Onodera Ichido," Ichido replied, finally recognizing who he was talking to. Which hammered in the fact that what had happened last night was no dream. He really was in Precure no Sekai somehow and he had actually turned into Kuuga! "It's nice to meet you, Akane-san."
"Nice to meet you too, Ichido-kun," Akane returned. Then her face went serious. "So, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into last night, considering your wounds?"
"Um," Ichido was conflicted about telling her. For one, at this point in this World's history, monster attacks wouldn't exactly be common, so he doubted that Akane would believe him. Also, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell her about Kuuga or the Grongi, for there was a good chance that she could be put in danger if she got too involved. Not to mention the fact that, if something were to happen to Akane, what would happen to Hikari in MaX Heart? He truly didn't want to think of the implications of this decision. "Well, I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you."
"Really?" Akane challenged. "Is it really so big and unbelievable?" Ichido didn't answer for a good minute. "Ah, the heck with it, if it's really so important to you, then I shouldn't pry."
Ichido looked up in surprise. "Wait, you're really going to leave it that?"
Akane looked non-surplused. "Well, it would be rude of me to just demand it from you. If you ever want to talk about it, just come forward," With that, she then moved towards the door to leave. But before she left, she looked back with a smile. "Oh, and make sure to finish that takoyaki, I'd hate to see it go to waste!" She then left Ichido alone in the room.
Ichido was very surprised, yet grateful at this gesture. Though he was still worried about the very existence of the Grongi in Precure no Sekai. The fact that there was even one Grongi around, suggested that there were more out there, though no reports of any others yet if Akane's non-panicked attitude was anything to go by. And considering that Nagisa and Honoka had only first transformed yesterday, they didn't have enough experience to tackle it themselves. Ichido would have thought about it more, but he was then distracted by a certain rumbling in his stomach.
"Oh well," Ichido finally said. "I'd better eat this." He then took the stick, taking his first bite of the ball of battered octopus. "Wow, this is Delicious!"
[Opening Theme: Kamen Rider KUUGA by Masayuki Tanaka]
Quickly shown was a strange stone tablet with various symbols etched on the stone before focusing on the one on the far right, the symbol of Kuuga. For a brief instant, Kuuga's helmet was shown.
Karappo no hoshi [The vacuous planet...]
Jidai wo zero kara hajimeyou [Let's start our age from zero]
Shown next was the bright blue sky as seen in the rather lovely town known as the Garden of Rainbows. The figure of Nagisa was seen glancing up at the sky with a lacrosse stick in one of her hands.
Densetsu wa nurikaeru mono [Legends are something that have to be repainted]
Ima, akuseru wo [Let go of the accelerator]
Shown next was Honoka, who was also looking up at the sky while studying in her home with a soft smile. The scene then shifts to the form of Kamen Rider Kuuga standing on a hill as he too looked up at the beautiful blue sky.
Tokihanate! [Now is the time!]
This was followed briefly by Nagisa and Honoka grasping hands as they became Cure Black and Cure White. Then, quick flashes were seen of some of the Dusk Zone's Zakenna and some unknown monsters.
Kuuga Atsuku yomigaere [KUUGA Revive yourself with burning blood]
Kuuga Hokori no enajii [KUUGA Energy made of pride]
Followed next were quick images of Kuuga in Mighty, Dragon, Pegasus and Titan Forms before the shadowy figure of Kuuga Ultimate Form was briefly seen.
Kuuga Tsuyoku aru tame ni [KUUGA To be strong and powerful...]
No Fear, No Pain
As Kuuga looked again at the blue sky from his hill top only to turn around as Cure Black and Cure White walked over and stood beside him. The trio looked up at the sky again.
Next what is shown is Kuuga riding on the Trychaser before Gouram flew in and merged with it into the TryGouram, driving down a street.
Ai no mae ni tatsu kagiri [As far as standing before love]
No Fear, No Pain
Shown next was Cure Black and Cure White firing the Marble Screw attack towards a towering Zakenna before they spot a Shadowy Monster rushing towards them; a Grongi!
Osoreru mono wa nani mo nai [No dreaded thing ever does exist]
Suddenly Kuuga arrives and leaps off his bike, front flipping in the air and slamming his Mighty Kick to the Grongi!
Kanzen dokusou! [Leave them far behind!]
Ore ga koete yaru! [Gonna get over the top!]
Lastly shown was Kuuga, Cure Black and Cure White once more looking at the blue sky as they return to their human forms of Nagisa, Honoka and Ichido.
Chō Henshin!
Kamen Rider Kuuga!
Once Ichido had finished his meal (NVZ: Even though technically Takoyaki is only a snackfood), he managed to find his way from the guest room into the living room, where he found Akane taking a break. "Hey, Akane-san?"
"Huh?" Akane looked up, to see Ichido out of bed. "Ichido-kun! What are you doing out of bed! Don't you want your injuries to heal or not?"
"Sorry, but I feel a lot less pain now," And Ichido was right, where he felt pain before, there was barely anything but a stinging sensation.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Akane asked sternly. Ichido nodded his head rapidly, in slight fear. Akane looked him over before sighing. "Well, you look alright, compared to how I found you last night," She then switched to a lighter tone. "So, how was the Takoyaki?"
"It was great!" Ichido replied, with a smile on his face. "You weren't kidding when you said that you're the best!"
"Well, thank you! I hope the next time you eat my food, it's as a customer and not as a patient," Akane teased. Ichido laughed nervously at this statement. "Oh, by the way, your hoodie is in the wash, hope you don't mind."
"Oh, no, I don't mind," Ichido waved it off. "Though, was there any damage to it?"
"Well, not that I could find," Akane answered. "So, you got anywhere to go, anyone I should call?"
"Uh," Ichido stammered. "They're not really around anymore," he admitted.
Akane was immediately caught on. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine," Ichido reassured her. "I try not to worry about it too much."
Akane looked contemplative, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Why don't you stay here?"
"Wait, what?!" Ichido was shocked at the offer.
"Well, you obviously need a place to stay," Akane reasoned. "And you don't have much on you, so I doubt you'll be able to find some place on your own." She did have a point, for all Ichido had on him when he was found were the clothes on his back.
"But, I can't just stay here for free," Ichido argued.
"Well, in that case, you can help me out with my shop," Akane offered. "That'll be your rent, heck I'll even teach you the basics. So, what do you say?"
Ichido thought it over. To tell the truth, it was a good deal, he could stay with Akane, giving him a place to sleep with a roof over his head, along with a way to keep an eye on Nagisa and Honoka to see which point in the season he is over time. Not to mention that Akane's cart, the Tako Cafe, was rather popular, so he could keep an eye out for suspicious rumors leading to Grongi. Though, he would need to make an excuse for when he would go out to fight them, for he doubted that he could fool her as easily as Hikari did, considering he didn't have any magic on his side, but he would worry about that later.
"Well, alright," Ichido replied. "I guess I'll be staying with you for a while."
"Alright! You'll be starting work tomorrow. For now, try to get settled in, I'll be setting up shop for today," Akane then left for the entrance. "Oh, and make sure to rest some more! Just because you feel better, doesn't mean you're at 100%!" She then left out the door, leaving Ichido to his thoughts.
"Well, isn't this an opportunity for you, Linto."
"Wah!" Ichido yelped. He then looked around for the source of the voice, finding no one, but himself in the room. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" the voice asked sarcastically. "You became aware of me just last night. How could you possibly be this stupid?"
"Eh? Wait," Ichido then placed his hands in front of his waist and concentrated. This resulted in the Arcle materializing upon his waist. "Don't tell me that you're-!"
"Yes, as I told you before, I am the Arcle!" the voice said exasperatedly. This was accompanied by the Amadam Stone in the belt's center flashing with every word the voice, well, worded.
'Yeesh. It doesn't have to snark like that,' Ichido thought.
"It can hear you, you know," the Arcle said in a smarmy tone.
"Wait, what?!" Ichido asked in shock. "Did you just read my mind?!"
"Of course I can read your thoughts, you idiot," the Arcle answered in a condescending tone. "I have been merged into your body and from your knowledge, you should know that I have been tied into your nervous system. My god, why is it that the only appropriate host for Kuuga's power that I could find had to be someone as stupid as you, Linto?"
"Hey, I was just caught by surprise!" Ichido defended himself. "Just about anyone would be shocked that they have superpowers and can hear a voice in their head! And would you stop calling me 'Linto'?! My name is Onodera Ichido!"
"I know what your name is, idiot," the Arcle replied. "I just find you too stupid to deserve being called by it."
Ichido wanted to argue more, but he calmed himself down so that he could move on to more important matters. "How are you even able to talk in the first place? The last I checked, you couldn't talk in the show." The Arcle did not respond to this. "You don't know either, do you? Man, you call me an idiot, yet you don't even know how you're able to speak." Ichido teased.
"Shut up!" the Arcle replied, sounding embarrassed. "That is not important. Should you not be worrying about something else?"
"That's right," Ichido got serious. "What the heck are Grongi doing here in Precure no Sekai? And for that matter, how did I even get here in the first place? All I remember was working on my T.V., then my toy got replaced with you. Everything else is a blur."
"I am not certain on either account," the Arcle answered. "For I was not the one who brought you here. What I do know is that the Grongi Tribe is here in this World and as all other possible candidates have been taken, I had no choice but to merge with you."
"Other candidates?" Ichido asked.
"You met at least two of them last night," the Arcle responded.
"So, wait, you wanted to merge with the Precure?" Ichido asked. "Well, you probably would have gotten the same results as you have with me, they're just as human as I am after all."
"I can tell that from your memories, but I could not tell earlier," the Arcle grumbled. "So, I have no choice but to deal with you, Linto. And speaking of your memories, I advise caution around the one called the 'Queen of Light'."
"Huh?" Ichido was about to argue again, but stopped at the Arcle's warning. "What do you mean by that? Isn't she supposed to be one of the Big Goods in this world?"
"Do not dodge the subject by bringing up TVTropes. You can not just brush her aside like that," the Arcle scolded. "Even a good person is capable of panic. You know how dark Kuuga's power can get, so you must not let your guard down around her."
"Alright, alright. I get it." Ichido then thought of something. "Hey, you got a name? I can't just call you 'You' all the time."
"My name?" the Arcle responded, sounding confused. "Well, that is-"
"AAAAIIIIEEEEE!" Its voice was cut off by a scream from a very familiar voice.
"Akane-san!" Ichido shouted, as he quickly rushed out of the house towards where the scream came from.
(minutes earlier)
Akane had walked over to her van to check for any problems before heading out. She had to make sure that it was in working order, otherwise she wouldn't be able to get to a spot to sell her goods. While she was checking the van, she thought about her recently acquired housemate, Ichido. She was worried due to his condition when she found him, along with the fact that he was apparently on his own. The offer to give a place with her was more or less for her piece of mind that he wouldn't be left out on the street. Though she left the matter closed, Akane still wondered about where the boy had gotten his injuries.
"Well, it doesn't matter," she decided. "He'll talk about it when he's ready." So she continued about her business, until she heard a strange sound. She stopped and turned her head to listen, deducing that the sound was similar to the flapping of a bird's wings, only much larger. When the sound came closer, she instinctively ducked down, an action that unknowingly saved her life.
When she looked up, she screamed, for the thing that had landed in front of her was definitely no bird. It looked more like a mixture between a bat and a man, wearing a loincloth and possessing very sharp teeth. This was the Bat Grongi, known as Zu-Gooma-Gu!
"Heheh. You'll do perfectly, Linto," Gooma said in the Grongi tongue. Just as he was about to attack her...
"Leave her alone, Grongi!" Ichido came rocketing in, throwing a punch at the now-distracted Gooma. As he did so, Growing Form's left arm armor appeared on his arm, much to Akane's shock.
"I-Ichido-kun?" Akane asked in shock and confusion.
Ichido ignored her for now, focusing on the Grongi in front of him. "Zu-Gooma-Gu," he muttered, recognizing the Grongi in front of him again. How fitting that the spider and bat monsters would be the first ones he came across.
As for Gooma, he was taken aback that some random Linto knew his name. That is, until he noticed the Arcle. "Kuuga?! What the hell are you doing still around?!" he asked in shock.
"Get ready, Grongi, because I'm taking you down!" Ichido declared, running at Gooma.
"HA! You wish, Kuuga! Bring it on!" Gooma declared, flying at him in response. Ichido managed to get another punch in, getting his chest armor on. A kick there, a jab there, and eventually Growing Form's armor had formed on him.
Suffice to say, Akane was downright shocked. Ichido, the boy that she had just taken in, had suddenly turned into some armored warrior before her eyes. And he was currently fighting some kind of monster. Though, this actually kind of explained just where his injuries had come from considering that he seemed to have experience with this sort of thing. Akane's musings were cut short by Kuuga's pained yelp.
"Agh!" Kuuga had only managed to get a few good punches in before Gooma managed to punch him into the side of the van. It went to show that Growing Form's strength was rather limited, if he couldn't even bring major damage to Zu-Gooma-Gu, who if Kuuga remembered correctly wasn't very high in strength compared to other Grongi.
"Idiot! This is no time for reminiscing!" the Arcle scolded. "Get up, hurry!"
"What's wrong, Kuuga?" Gooma asked amused. "You don't seem as strong as usual." The Bat Grongi then pulled up his arm. "Well, I guess I'll just put you out of your misery!" He then moved to swipe down at Kuuga, only to feel something hit his head.
"Hey! Get away from him!" Apparently, Akane had decided to intervene by hitting Gooma with a frying pan. Though she quickly learned that this was not the best action, for all it managed to do was dent the frying pan.
There was an awkward silence in the air, as all parties there were wondering just why she had done that to begin with.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" Gooma asked, quite confused. He then turned towards Akane, baring his fangs. "Very well, you're first!"
Akane screamed again, holding up the frying pan in desperation. What nobody knew at this time though, was that dawn was just about to occur. A small sliver of sunlight miraculously hit the metal part of the pan, and reflected into Gooma's eyes. The result was rather obvious for those who know his main weakness.
"AGHHHHHH!" The Bat Grongi screamed. He recovered a bit later, looking quite angry. "You little-!" However, Akane used Gooma's moment of pain to get away and hide near the other side of the van.
Kuuga, who was momentarily forgotten, noticed Gooma's episode, remembering Gooma's weakness in the process. 'Of course! Gooma's weak to high intensity light!' he realized.
"Use your surroundings. What can you use that can shine a light with an intensity bright enough to deal with him?" the Arcle advised.
Kuuga quickly thought up a plan. He got into the van, quickly got to the driver's seat, and hastily searched for the controls. More specifically, the control for the headlights. He found the control, and looked forward to see that, thankfully, Gooma was right in front of the head of the van, giving Kuuga what he needed to deal with him.
"Oi! Zu-Gooma-Gu!" Said Grongi then looked in the direction of Kuuga's voice, realizing that he had forgotten about him. Before it could do anything though, Kuuga turned on the headlights.
Now, it should be noted that Gooma's eyes were quite sensitive. As mentioned, he feels intense pain when exposed to either sunlight or concentrated lights, like the light from the van's headlights. "GAHHHHHHH!" The Grongi screamed in pain, covering his eyes in the hopes that it would cut off the light. It didn't. "DAMN YOU, KUUGA! DON'T THINK I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!" Gooma then flew off, quickly looking for shelter from the light. Which was also a good thing for him considering that the sun was coming up fast.
Once the Grongi escaped, Kuuga relaxed and turned back into Ichido, his previous fatigue catching back up to him. "OK," he started. "That could have gone better."
"Now that is, in your terms, the understatement of the century!" the Arcle scolded. "Seriously, why did you fight him while you were still in Growing Form!"
"Hey, give me a break!" Ichido shot back. "I don't even know why I can't access the other forms."
"I-Ichido-kun?" Ichido flinched at the sound of Akane's voice. He turned towards her, noting the shell-shocked expression on her face. "W-What just happened?"
Ichido sighed. He was glad that Akane was safe, but she had seen him transform, so he knew that there would be consequences. "Akane-san," Ichido started, with a nervous grin forming on his face. "I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"
(30 minutes later)
After the two new housemates got back into the house and calmed down from their encounter, they relocated themselves to the living room to talk about their experience. "So, just what was that thing anyway?" Akane began.
"That thing is a member of a species called Grongi," Ichido explained. "Long ago, in an unrecorded part of history, the Grongi tribe existed alongside humanity, or Linto as they called us. But it wasn't a peaceful existence. They hunted down and killed humans, while treating it as a game. They were faster than us, stronger than us, and could have potentially wiped us out."
"But you're saying this as if they died out a long time ago," Akane fearfully pointed out. "If that really was a 'Grongi', how come no one knows about them?"
"I don't know, I was actually quite surprised to see even two of them in this day and age," Ichido admitted. He still couldn't figure out what the Grongi were doing in this world, no matter how much he wrapped his mind around it.
"So, if the Grongi could have wiped us out, what stopped them?" Akane asked, bringing Ichido back to the present.
"Well, that would be because of this." Ichido then placed his hands in front of his waist, summoning the Arcle, which caught Akane off guard. "This belt is called the Arcle, an artifact created by the ancient Linto tribe in order to defend themselves against the Grongi."
"Um, how does a belt help you fight those things?" Akane asked dubiously, having gotten over her shock. Really, with everything that's happened at this point, she was expecting anything to happen.
"You saw how it helped me earlier," Ichido pointed out. He then motioned to the circular part on the side of the belt. "You see this character here? It translates into the word 'Power'. What the belt does is transform the wearer into a warrior that can fight the Grongi on even terms. The warrior's name is Kuuga."
"Kuuga?" Akane repeated uncertainly, but then shook her head. "Well, either way you shouldn't have to fight these things yourself. Why don't you go to the police and tell them about this?"
"Because the only way that they would believe me is if I transformed right in front of them," Ichido replied dryly. "Which would lead to the eventual conclusion that I'm one of the Grongi themselves." 'Which isn't exactly inaccurate all things considered.'
"Well then, take off the belt and give it someone else!" Akane suggested. "Surely you can't be the only one who can use it?"
"That's just it, I can't take it off," Ichido responded. "The Arcle attaches itself to the nervous system of the first person who puts it on, so it's just as much a part of me as one of my own organs. I don't know of any way for it to come off other than death."
"B-But, that's just-!" Akane looked shocked at this bit of information. "Even so, who says you need to go out and fight anyway?"
"I'm a Kamen Rider," Ichido stated firmly. "I have to fight the Grongi, no one else can."
"Kamen Rider?" Akane looked confused at the term. "What's that supposed to be?"
"Eh?" Ichido was startled. She didn't know what a Kamen Rider was? Come to think of it, he really shouldn't have had to explain what Kuuga was either. He had thought Kamen Rider as a series still existed in this World, but apparently it didn't. Well, here comes the awkward questions. "Well, um." He searched his mind for a good explanation before making a decision. "A Kamen Rider is a warrior who protects the smiles of others. So long as there are any Grongi still alive, they'll continue to play their 'games' of killing people. And I can't allow that!"
"Ichido-kun." Akane was surprised by his determination, but she couldn't let it end there. "Even if that's the case, I really don't think you should fight." At the boy's shocked expression, she elaborated further. "Sure you have this great power, but why would you fight to protect people that you barely even know? When it comes to being this selfless, there's a difference between it being heroic and being suicidal."
"But-!"
"I know that you're the only one who can fight, yes!" Akane interrupted. "But you really have no reason to fight." She placed her hands on Ichido's shoulders and forced him to sit back down. "Why don't you just relax and think about this. From the way it looked, that Grongi from earlier can't move around during the day, so we shouldn't worry about any attacks for a while. We'll finish any discussion about your living arrangements when I get back from work." She then headed for the door, but before she left, she looked back towards Ichido. "Ichido-kun," she pleaded. "Please, just think about this." Once she was gone, Ichido was once again, alone in the house.
Ichido sat there silently, digesting Akane's words. How could he not fight when he has this power? The fact that she didn't even recognize what a Kamen Rider was spoke numerous things as well.
"Linto, focus," the Arcle cut into his thoughts. "You have more important things to worry about than some TV show. For instance, the fact that you can only access Growing Form."
Ichido frowned at its tone, but knew it had a point. "I don't get it though. Why can't I use Mighty Form? I'm not going about things half-assed, am I?" he asked, referring to the reason Godai Yuusuke couldn't initially use Mighty Form.
The Arcle was silent for a bit, considering what he said. It then replied with, "No, you are not doing things half-assed. You understand the stakes better than anyone on the planet. But, Linto, you really do not have a reason to fight."
"What do you guys mean, I don't have a reason to fight? The Grongi are here, and I've become Kuuga. If I let them win, they'll kill everybody. Isn't that enough?" Ichido wondered.
"Ordinarily, yes. However Linto, you are hampered by the very reason you know of the circumstances. You only know this World through Anime. You have no attachment to it. In effect, you don't really believe you are actually here."
"That's crazy!" Ichido protested.
"Search your feelings. Do you honestly believe in full that you are actually here?" the Arcle questioned.
Ichido bowed his head. Honestly? He couldn't believe it, simply because of how unbelievable it was that he was here, as a Rider. He was your average person making their own way in the world. To become a Rider, a hero, was simply amazing. And to be put into one of his favorite TV shows to boot? It just didn't seem real.
"You see? You do not believe that you are really here. So even if you do not mean to, you do not actually care what happens to this World," the Arcle said in a neutral tone.
"Then what should I do?!" Ichido yelled.
"Use your head. Is there any way to tell if you are in a dream or not?"
"Um. Got it! They say you can't read things while you're dreaming," Ichido remembered.
"Then you must find some form of literature and see if you can read it," the Arcle pointed out. "But even if you do so, do you have a strong enough attachment to fight for the people of this World? After all, it is not your World. You have no obligation to defend it."
Ichido grew angry at this. "What kind of person would I be if I don't help those people who need it?!" he angrily asked.
"But why fight for these people who do not even know you?" the Arcle questioned.
"Because-! Because. I don't know why," Ichido admitted.
"You see? You do not have a true reason to fight. Unless you can find that reason, then you will fail miserably, and then where would you be?" the Arcle questioned. "At any rate, you should see about checking if you are in a dream or not."
"Yeah yeah," Ichido grumbled, heading to a nearby bookshelf. Opening a random book to a random page, he could read it perfectly. "Well, that's one mystery solved," he said, even though something in his gut tightened up.
"I understand if this may give you some distress," the Arcle started.
"No, it's fine. I didn't really have anyone to say goodbye to anyway," Ichido murmured.
"I see. Regardless, and I do not particularly mean to be particularly pushy, if you cannot use Mighty Form at least, then you are at a huge disadvantage."
"Yeah, I know. What am I supposed to do though?"
"I am not sure."
"Something to think about later," Ichido decided, sitting down and thinking about everything. What was he supposed to do?
A lot of time later, when the school day was over, one Misumi Nagisa was at her home, holding a stuffed animal. She was being apprehensive about a lot of things: specifically an encounter with a boy earlier in the day. But, in the back of her mind, she also was apprehensive about fighting, like what had happened yesterday.
"Back then, why did my face get all red like that?" she wondered, thinking about the earlier encounter with that boy, Fujimura Shougo, Fujipi to his friends. Suddenly, her Card Commune started moving on its own. She freaked out at this, but it was really Mepple laughing.
"Ha ha! You surprised me. You must be thinking of tonight's dinner-mepo," he guessed.
"No way. I'm not like you," Nagisa said with a deadpan expression, remembering earlier in the day. Mepple is a really picky eater. "In any case, leave me alone," she said, turning away from him.
"I can't do that-mepo," Mepple flat out said. "From now on, we'll be together for a long time."
"I told you before, you shouldn't decide such things on your own!" Nagsia yelled at him, pointing with her finger.
"Nagisa," Mepple said, ignoring that. "Shall I tell you the story of my homeland-mepo?" he asked.
"I don't really care," Nagisa said with a flat look.
Mepple twisted his face in an attempt to look cuter. "Please! Please listen to my story-mepo!" he pleaded.
"Alright, alright. All I have to do is listen, right?" Nagisa finally acquiesced.
"Good-mepo," Mepple cheered.
"Whenever you get into trouble, you turn into a total crybaby," Nagisa commented in an aside. Mepple ignored that and started his explanation.
"The place where we lived was called the Garden of Light-mepo."
"Garden of Light?" Nagisa asked in confusion.
"The flowers were always in bloom there, and it was very beautiful-mepo. But one day, dark things came out of nowhere and began to devour the Garden of Light-mepo. They were from the Dark Zone. The Garden of Light's Queen and elders were afraid of being consumed by the Dark Zone. Therefore, they gave the Prism Stones to Mipple, the Princess of Hope, and me, the chosen hero, in order for us to escape-mepo," he said, with some slight exaggeration.
Meanwhile, at Yukishiro Honoka's home in another part of town, she was also getting the explanation from Mipple herself.
"Prism Stones?" Honoka wondered.
"They are the stones of life. Mepple and I both have one-mipo. And the people from the Dark Zone are targeting them-mipo," Mipple said.
"What kind of stone is that?" Honoka asked. However, they were interrupted by the arrival of Honoka's grandmother.
"Honoka-"
"What is it, Grandma?" Honoka asked, quickly hiding the Card Commune. Her grandmother, Yukishiro Sanae, pushed open the sliding door to Honoka's room.
"Who were you talking to just now?" she asked.
"Nobody. I was just talking to myself," Honoka smoothly lied.
Yukishiro Sanae chuckled. "I see, I see." She then grew serious. "More importantly, did you go into the storage shed in the yard recently?" she asked.
"No, not all," Honoka denied.
"I see, I see. Then there's no problem," the elder Yukishiro said, leaving Honoka to be alone. Honoka sighed in relief at this.
Meanwhile, on a random rooftop, Pissard stood there along with the vacuum he had taken earlier. "Pretty soon, the show will begin," he said to himself. He raised his hand into the air to call forth a Zakenna!
"Heart of darkness, make them understand the horror of the Dark Power!" he declared. Darkness filled the skies, sending Zakenna spirits down to possess the vacuum.
"Arise, Zakenna!" Pissard proclaimed. With a cry of its name, the vacuum grew giant-sized, with sharp teeth filling the wand. "Suck every last drop of energy!" Pissard commanded. The Zakenna did just that, sucking up all of the electrical energy all over town, much to the shock of the people.
Across town, Mepple sensed this. "The people from the Dark Zone have come to attack again-mepo! So I want you to fight with us-mepo!" he pleaded with Nagisa, who was lying on her bed with a dour look.
"But you don't need to choose an ordinary girl like me to do that kind of thing," she pointed out. At this, Mepple flew into her face.
"In that case, this place will surely end up like the Garden of Light," Mepple harshly said. Suddenly, the sound of car horns interrupted them. After seeing what that was, Nagisa quickly turned on the TV.
"This just in," the news reporter...reported. "Right now, there are a series of power outages happening in the vicinity of Jyounan." The screen then changed to show the strange sky as well as people running. "People have begun to panic." The screen then showed traffic accidents and people going crazy. However, that was when the TV shut off. Nagisa was confused, hitting the power button a whole bunch.
"It must be the Dark Zone-mepo!" Mepple proclaimed.
"No way!" Nagisa exclaimed.
"Nagisa, we have to do something-mepo! Now's the time for Pretty Cure-mepo!" Mepple urged.
"Eh, but-" Nagisa started before being cut off.
"Mipple has probably also noticed it and is heading there-mepo. Hurry!" Mepple yelled.
"Do I have to?" Nagisa wearily asked. Regardless of that, she went to get ready to get out there, but not before she had an encounter with her annoying little brother, Ryouta.
In a dark area, a certain Bat Grongi's eyes flew open. He saw the strange darkness-filled sky above him. "What the hell?!" he said in shock. But then, an evil grin crept on his face. "Wait a minute, if the Sun's gone, then that means I can go after that Linto bitch and Kuuga again!" he crowed. Flapping his wings, he zoomed out of his hiding place, using all of his senses to track down Akane and her cart.
Meanwhile, at Akane's home, Ichido held his head as a sudden pain wracked it. He quickly saw Gooma, then a picture of Akane, then a purple sky. The pain cut off as sudden as it began, causing Ichido to bend over, panting in exhaustion. "What was that?" he whispered.
"Oh, it seems I forgot to tell you. That is your early warning system. If a Grongi has appeared out in the open and I sense it, you'll know exactly where it is and what its probably target is," the Arcle said with a slight hint of amusement.
"I don't remember Godai having that ability in the show. And really? A warning radar? How does that work?" Ichido questioned.
"Is this really the time?" the Arcle questioned drolly.
Ichido widened his eyes, remembering what he had seen. "Akane-san!" he yelled in panic, summoning the Arcle out into the physical world. "Henshin!" he declared, pressing down on the switch on the side, transforming into Growing Form. He ran out of the place in terror, running to where the Tako Cafe was.
Meanwhile, at the amusement park where the first Zakenna and Zu-Gumun-Ba had been fought, the police were all over the place, having cordoned the area off. The Koizumi Gakuen Police Department, although small and out of the way, had a sense of pride. They'd solve what was going on, without a doubt!
However, one detective was sighing. The police all over the region had taken losses in combating these Unidentified Lifeforms. But why had they all suddenly left the places they had been harassing and come here to Koizumi? Of course, that was why he was here: to find out what was going on.
"Any luck?" he asked of the scientific investigators.
"Nothing yet, sir. We're lucky we've obtained this much of Unidentified Lifeform #1. Whatever destroyed it didn't leave much behind," the forensic scientist responded, referring to Gumun's remains.
"What could kill an Unidentified Lifeform like this so easily?" an inspector wondered in barely-disguised terror. "I mean, our weapons don't even work on them properly, and there's something out there that can just ... blow them up?!"
"Steady on there," the detective sharply said. "We can't afford to panic here. If we're going to combat the Unidentified Lifeforms properly, then we need to stay calm."
"Readings are a little muddled, sir. There's some strange energy in the air," one of the officers reported, holding a strange device that looked like a radio dish. Said officer was from one of the detachments from the Paranormal Investigations Unit that had been assigned to the local police. The detective didn't normally pay them much mind, as who would believe that the paranormal were responsible for anything? But they were officially out of options in figuring out what was going on, so no avenue could be left unchosen.
Suddenly, the officer's equipment started going haywire. "Readings are off the scale! The equipment has gone nuts!" he exclaimed.
Another officer then rushed towards the detective. "Sir! A strange figure has been spotted downtown!" he reported.
The detective narrowed his eyes. The readings going nuts at the same time as some new figure? Then it had to be- "Number 2?" he asked.
"It appears to be likely, sir!" the officer acknowledged.
The detective scowled, running over to his patrol bike. What he wouldn't give to have the new models. But those were still being tested in Tokyo. "I'm going after it," he said, putting his helmet on.
The officers protested. "But Ichijo-san-!" one started.
Ichijo Kaoru glared him off. "We can't afford to let Number 2 get away!" he declared. "It might just lead us to the force that destroyed Number 1!" he added, before taking off on his bike.
Akane was wondering what was going on. She had set up the Tako Cafe in town like she usually did, but then the power stopped working on everything. Just as she was trying to tell her angry customers that she didn't know what was going on, Gooma landed straight in the middle of the place, causing everyone there to panic and run.
"Found you," Gooma ominously said. Akane screamed and tried to back away from him, but tripped over a rock behind her. Gooma sinisterly rose above her. "I'm going to savor this," he evilly said. Just as he was about to bring down his claw...
"Get away from her!" Kuuga yelled, leaping feet first into Gooma. Gooma was flung back into a nearby car, stunned.
"Ichido-kun?!" Akane gasped in shock.
"Akane-san, get somewhere safe! I'll deal with him!" Kuuga declared, facing the direction of Gooma.
"But-!" Akane attempted to protest.
"No buts! I'll protect you, I swear!" Kuuga vowed. For a split second, Akane could have sworn that his armor was red rather than the white it was actually.
"Just, be careful!" she pleaded, running behind the Cafe.
'You say that Akane-san, but I don't think there is a real way to do this by being careful,' Kuuga thought to himself.
"Now is not the time, Linto! You still do not have a real reason to fight!" the Arcle argued.
"You keep saying that. Then tell me, what am I supposed to do?!" Kuuga yelled out loud. But in his distraction, Gooma recovered and flew at him.
"Kuuga!" Gooma yelled, grabbing Kuuga and attacking him. Kuuga attempted to fight back, but Gooma was overpowering him easily. It was then that Detective Ichijo drove up on his bike, which had managed to escape the power draining. Taking off his helmet, his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.
'Unidentified Life Form #2,' he thought, looking at Kuuga. He then turned to Gooma, widening his eyes further. 'And #3.' Now, Ichijo Kaoru is not a genius by any stretch of the imagination. However, he was still fairly smart, as no one on the force could afford not to be. And his brain was working overtime to figure out what was going on.
'#2 and #3 are fighting. Is there possibly infighting in their ranks? But #2 seems to be protecting that woman,' he noted, seeing Gooma fly at Akane before Kuuga knocked him aside. '#2 might possibly be an ally, if we could find a way to communicate. It might have been responsible for #1's destruction as well. Although, it could just be that they're fighting over who gets to slaughter her,' he thought grimly. Drawing his gun, he quickly and silently ducked next to Akane.
"Ma'am," he quickly said. Akane let out a muffled shriek as she turned to see who it was. The detective went on as if it didn't happen. "I'm Detective Ichijo Kaoru. The police have been tracking these Unidentified Lifeforms for a while. Is there anything you can tell us about them," he said as he motioned to the fight. It seemed as though Kuuga was losing badly.
Akane was too scared and worried to say anything, so she clammed up. Ichijo sighed, assuming she was too shell-shocked. "Never mind. Stay here, I'll deal with them," he said, getting his gun ready.
"Wait!" Akane pleaded. Ichijo paused to let her speak. Akane considered her words carefully before continuing. "Don't hurt the white one! He's just trying to protect me, I swear!" she said in desperation.
Ichijo considered this, before nodding. "Alright. But if he attacks me, I have the right to defend myself," he pointed out. At Akane's hesitant nod, Ichijo ran out from the cover. "Oi! Hands in the air!" he demanded, pointing his gun at Gooma.
The two combatants paused to take this in. Kuuga was flabbergasted when he noticed who had appeared. 'Ichijo Kaoru?! But that's impossible!' he thought in shock.
Gooma simply sneered and menacingly walked forward. Taking no chances, Ichijo shot off a full cartridge at him, but to no avail. The bullets went a couple of centimeters into Gooma's skin, but were pushed out.
"W-What?!" Ichijo said in shock, unconsciously stepping back. Gooma was about to claw at him, when Kuuga bodily checked the Bat Grongi from the side, knocking him over.
"KUUGA! You damn pest!" Gooma cursed at him. The Bat Grongi leaped at Kuuga, latched on to him, then flew up into the sky. Gooma then proceeded to toss Kuuga into a nearby building, flying after him.
"Damn it!" Ichijo cursed, running after them. Akane was too paralyzed to do anything other than sit there and hope Kuuga had made it out alright.
'Please be alright, Ichido-kun.'
Elsewhere, Pissard and the Zakenna were standing on top of a skyscraper. The Zakenna continued to suck up all of the power across town. Nagisa and Honoka were running directly towards it. "I can feel it-mepo. Nagisa, we're getting closer-mepo!" Mepple reported. As they approached the skyscraper, Nagisa couldn't help but look up at it. The elevators were stuck between floors, trapping the people inside. And to her shock, she recognized some of the people trapped!
"What's the matter, Misumi-san?" Honoka asked. Nagisa's answer was to shout out two names.
"Shiho! Rina!" she yelled. Because trapped in the elevators were two of her friends.
Honoka saw this with wide eyes. "We've got to help them!" she urged. The two of them then ran towards the skyscraper, running up the stairs to the top. When they reached the top, they saw the person responsible for this.
"Well, well, well. I knew you two would show up here," Pissard smugly said. "I don't have time to deal with you now!" he said, while the two ran around the Zakenna. "But I want to deal with you very much. Go, Zakenna!" he ordered. The Zakenna stopped sucking in the electricity, and swiped at the two with its hose, knocking them back.
Nagisa angrily got back up. "Ooh, now you're getting me angry!" she declared, bringing out the Card Commune.
"Transform-mepo!" Mepple urged.
Nagisa turned to Honoka. "Yukishiro-san," she said, getting a nod from Honoka.
"Alright, slash the cards-mepo!" Mepple told them. The duo did so, initiating the sequence. There was a rainbow disc for a second before it faded to black. Then, a white light burst out of it.
The duo clasped hands, raising their opposite hands up and called out, "Dual Aurora Wave!" From the outside, it looked like a giant rainbow pillar enveloped them, causing Pissard to brace himself. The light died down, revealing their transformed forms.
"Emissary of Light, Cure Black!"
"Emissary of Light, Cure White!"
"Futari wa Pretty Cure!" the duo declared. Pissard narrowed his eyes at this.
"Servant of the Dark Power..." White started, pointing at him.
"Return from the Darkness from which you came!" Black finished, also pointing at him.
"As I thought, it's the legend that was told in the Garden of Light," Pissard said to himself. "Zakenna! No need to hold back, just crush them!" he ordered. The Zakenna complied, tossing its head at the duo. They leaped into the air to dodge, but while Black got off scot-free, the Zakenna went after White while she was still in the air!
But White was able to flip the Zakenna around in the air, much to everyone's surprise, including herself. Seeing this opportunity, Black leaped past her to attack. But as she leaped at the Zakenna, it angled its exhaust fan at her, stopping her kick dead cold. It then brought its mouth around, attempting to suck her in. Black got caught in the opening, desperately trying to avoid being eaten.
"Black!" White yelled in concern.
"Destroy them!" Pissard commanded. The Zakenna then tossed Black through a door on the top. When White went to go help her, it sucked her up and tied her up with the extension cord, tossing her into the building as well. She bumped into some machinery, then fell onto the top of the elevator. Black was there as well, tied up in the elevator rope. It was then that Pissard arrived.
"Ah, a present," he sinisterly said, before cutting the elevator rope. As you'd expect, the elevator immediately plummeted down the shaft, causing the people inside to start screaming.
"If it continues to fall, the whole elevator will be smashed to pieces-mepo!" Mepple yelled from inside Black's bag. That was when White got an idea. She tied herself up to the same rope Black was tied up to, which was the elevator rope. The two then got on opposite sides of the shaft, and attempted to break its descent.
It was a tense moment. But they succeeded, stopping the elevator before it could hit the ground fast enough to cause damage. The two Precure untied themselves from the rope. "He won't get away with this!" Black declared.
"Let's pay him back," White agreed. The two then leaped up the walls of the elevator shaft to get back up to the top. Pissard was flabbergasted at their return, but pushed past it.
"It doesn't matter, max power! Blow them to smithereens!" he commanded. The Zakenna complied, shooting at the two with its stored electricity. The two guarded against it, unconsciously holding hands. But instead of being blasted, a spherical rainbow-colored shield formed around the two instead. The two looked at it at shock, before realizing what caused it. The two grew serious, powering up for the finish.
"Black Thunder!"
"White Thunder!"
With those declarations said, lightning strikes in their respective colors impacted their outstretched hands, causing them to glow with power!
"Our beautiful souls..." White started.
"...shall crush your evil heart!" Black finished. The two then pointed their hands forward at the Zakenna.
"Precure Marble Screw!" they declared, firing off the energy blast. The Marble Screw bisected the Zakenna, causing its hose to almost fall on Pissard before he leaped away. Black then leaped up and kicked the other half of the Zakenna, causing the Zakenna spirit to fly out and split apart into the little stars, Gomenna. The vacuum itself, as well as the sky, returned to normal.
The duo smiled each other for a job well done, before Black thought of something. "Hey, that Kuuga guy didn't show up today. I wonder where he went?" she wondered.
While White pondered the question, Mepple and Mipple shuddered at the mention of Kuuga. "What's with you?" Black questioned, bringing her Card Commune out.
"Something about that guy feels weird-mepo. He's definitely not to be trusted-mepo!" Mepple declared.
"Yeah right. I bet you're just making it up because you don't like him or something," Black said in a deadpan tone.
"No, that's wrong! I've always right about these things-mepo!" Mepple yelled.
While those two were having their argument, what was happening with Kuuga anyway?
"Gkh," Ichido groaned as he extricated himself from the building he was in. He had powered down as a result of being knocked into it. His vision started swimming, but he pushed past it. He couldn't afford to stop here!
However, the Arcle spoke up. "Linto, do not be foolish! You've still only access to Growing Form; you cannot continue in your current state!" it pointed out logically.
"I don't care!" Ichido argued. As he did, the faces of Akane, Nagisa, and Honoka came to the forefront of his mind. This World was real. Meaning their hopes and dreams were real. They were real. And if the Grongi got their way, then they would really be gone. "I-I will protect them. I won't let the Grongi destroy everything they know and care for. I swear it on their smiles!" he cried. He got back to his feet, standing tall and firm. Just then, Gooma appeared.
"Kuuga!" he growled.
"Come at me, Zu-Gooma-Gu. I'll take you head on!" Ichido cried, summoning the Arcle back into the physical world. He brought his right hand up, moving it horizontally across his field of vision. "Henshin!" he yelled, slamming both hands on the switch on the Arcle's right side.
-BREET!-
-BREET!-
-BREET-BREET-BREET-BREET-BREETBREETBREETBREET-SHING!-
At this, Kuuga's armor formed back on him. But it was different now. The armor was slightly thicker, and resembled a beetle's carapace. The chest armor was red, and the horns extended out more. The Amadam Stone was also red. This was Kuuga Mighty Form!
Gooma reacted at this. "So, you're finally using your real form, huh, Kuuga?! Well it won't be enough!" he declared in the Grongi tongue, flying at Kuuga. Kuuga's response was to yell and leap towards him with a punch. However, that was when the dark skies overhead cleared. Gooma cringed in pain. With a shriek, he flew off, leaving Kuuga to blink in confusion.
"Well that was anticlimactic," he couldn't help but comment.
"I will admit, I did not expect that to happen," the Arcle admitted. "However, you now have access to Mighty Form, so I suppose that this counts as a net win," it pointed out.
"I guess. Still, that just leaves me with more questions. That was Ichijo Kaoru I saw earlier. The thing is, he's from the Kuuga series, so what's he doing here?" Kuuga wondered.
"Does it matter?" the Arcle wondered.
"It really shouldn't considering other Worlds and all that, but it's still weird," Kuuga said. He then shook himself out of that. "At any rate, I'm going to go see if Akane-san needs any help," he said, powering down.
As he walked away, Ichijo himself came from behind the corner. He widened his eyes as he saw the dismissal of the armor. 'Number 2 ... is a kid?!'
Episode 02 - Fin
OathToOblivion: You know, I couldn't find the actual name of the town anywhere, so I had come up with my own. Nijiniwa; supposedly, it means "Rainbow Garden". Appropriate, right? ...Of course, then I found out the actual name a few minutes ago. Credit to pcj for helping us find out what it was.
Novice' Writer Zero: As appropriate as the names for Precure Towns can get. As you may have noticed, this chapter may have had a bit more exposition than action, mostly due to my inexperience in writing stories, so I apologize.
OathToOblivion: Well, like a certain someone keeps telling us, Kuuga supposedly isn't all action to begin with. Although I don't think most Rider shows are that action-packed all the time. At any rate:
Next time on Futari wa Pretty Cure - Into the Blue Sky: Mighty Kick! Beware of the Cute Student Teacher!
See you guys then!